Dark solitons in nonlinear optics

Recent theoretical and experimental results on propagation of dark-pulse solitons in nonlinear optical media are reviewed. Using an analytical approach based on the nonlinear Schrodinger equation, the authors describe properties of dark solitons, features of their generation by different input pulses, and the dynamics of dark solitons in the presence of perturbations. They also briefly discuss experimental results which show the possibility of dark-soliton propagation in optical fibers (temporal dark solitons), laser beams passed through a sodium vapor and nonlinear slab waveguides (spatial dark solitons), and demonstrate that theoretical predictions and experimental data are in good agreement